In January of this year, North Carolina State University's Natural Resources Foundation decided to sell the forest, claiming that income from the sale would trump its educational value. Renee Elder, a reporter for the News and Observer, has been following the sale of the forest and its opposition. She joins host Frank Stasio on today's program.

Related Content

North Carolina conservation groups say preserving land for public use has long-term economic benefits. A new report from the non-profit Trust for Public Land claims that every dollar North Carolina invests in parks, farms and wilderness has a return of 4 dollars to the local economy. The report measures the “natural goods and services” of different ecosystems in the state. An area is valued by the quality of its air and water and its ability to remove pollutants naturally—making wetlands and forests the most valuable and developed or barren land the least valuable.